Malawi Electoral Commission (Mec) has rescinded its plan to appeal against High Court’s ruling over disqualification of 15 parliamentary candidates and one presidential aspirant, disclosing it has instead reinstated them to contest the May 20 elections.

Mec in February this year disqualified some candidates for failing to resign from civil service as public officers at the time they presented their nominations papers. Some of the candidates including Malawi Congress Party (MCP) Publicity Secretary, Jessie Kabwila and Umodzi Party (UP) president, John Chisi took the Commission to court, which ruled in their favour.

In a statement, Mec’s Chief Elections Officer, Willie Kalonga said the Commission has allowed the affected politicians to participate in the elections but will appeal against the court rulings after May 20th elections.

“The Malawi Electoral Commission met on Wednesday, April 2, 2014 to review the recent rulings of the High Court on. disqualified candidates. The Commission observed that the rulings made by Judges Mike Tembo, Dunstain Mwaungulu and Dorothy Nyakaunda Kamanga contradicted each other particularly on the definition of public officer,” said Kalonga in a statement.

He added: “Consequently the Commission resolved to appeal all cases involving those “holding public office” to the Supreme Court. However, due to time constraints, the Commission further resolved that the upper court should hear the matters after the May 20, 2014 Elections”.

The candidates are: Presidential Election: Professor John Chisi of Umodzi Party